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i would consider using aluminum first, then SS as a second option.
1" square aluminum is light and strong. SS would also be good and strong, but not as light. and high $
they both have the added advantage of being easily finished with or without paint. the SS would be easier to weld if you are a bit rusty on your TIG skills.
whatever you chose to use i would burn up a bit of scrap before embarking on the project, even if it means buying a few extra feet just to practice on.
FWIW; i found 1" aluminum easy to weld on and very strong when i made my welding cart.

thanks for the help
......or..........
hope i helped feel free to shoot me an e-mail direct i have time to chat.james@newyorkmetalart.comsummer is here, plant a tree. if you don't have space or time to plant one sponsor some one else to plant one for you. a tree is an investment in our planet, help it out.
JAMES

For the areas where people sit metal can be hot/cold wood is a good material for seating but will require yearly maintenance. If you use the more weather resistant woods be cautious as they are not good to breathe the dust "no dust is these are worse" , teak, redwood, and ipe are some of the best. Ipe can be very toxic to the person machining it, in Hawaii I had seen this whole window shop get shut down and the employees all hospitalized due to exposure to the dust. I had been making gates for the same estate they were making the windows for and lucky for me we had an outdoor machine shop. I also noticed the wood made my skin slightly itchy, so I suited up in a painters suit and wore a respirator and was speared the suffering of the window guys. Inflamed lungs, bleeding festering welts ect. I don't know what OSHA did to the employer either.

Other options to consider concrete, cushions on steal, some type of webbing.

Don't forget to consider drainage for outdoor furniture.

Almost forgot bamboo would also be a great option thermal and weather resistant, you could find some of the composite bamboo materials and stay away from the jungle bar look too.

Varnish on laminate is good also but if you want it to hold up well outdoors make sure you seal the wood surface with a marine epoxy first and than cover with a high quality marine grade varnish with UV inhibitors, this finish should hold up but it is still suggested that you put a new coat on every season. You can also get Okoume BS1088 Marine Plywood and it is rated for marine use + comes in thin ply that bends well for laminating.

Varnish on laminate is good also but if you want it to hold up well outdoors make sure you seal the wood surface with a marine epoxy first and than cover with a high quality marine grade varnish with UV inhibitors, this finish should hold up but it is still suggested that you put a new coat on every season. You can also get Okoume BS1088 Marine Plywood and it is rated for marine use + comes in thin ply that bends well for laminating.

Smart stuff! There are some BIG possibilities using square AL and plywood- neat. Look forward to some progress and finished pics.

Material options

This die will work for sharp bends that wont matter for the application that I will be using it for
Will try the sand trick to see how that works wife had to have this place so I've been cursed with 2 ac. Of sand and oaks
The 1-1/4" tubing dimpled on both sides not sure if the sand trick will help as it is a sharp bend with the small die, at any rate I got the general ideal of how to make some die's just need to figure out size of die to use.

As for aluminum will it deform like the steel using this method of bending ??
And was thinking about a material that a neighbor who moved here from Alaska
Was telling me about that he used for building decks it's like a fiber plastic type material
Which will weather better than wood with out needing to be sealed every year.
Thinking of using it on picnic tables for the top and benches. I seen it at one of the local lumber yards the other day but is kind of price. But my first project is going to be a picnic table just to start with something basic and easy but try to implement back rest to the bench seats and end benches.

Here are some pictures of the homemade square tubing bender I built from some scrap 1/4" steel. I used this for bending some 6061-T6 square aluminum tube (1"x1"x0.125") up to 90degrees without any kinks or bulges. I was anticipating filling the tube with sand but it wasn't necessary. It's important that the dies comes apart so you can get your tube out once it's bent. The die uses a standard HF pipe bender machine.